I think this applies to pretty much all of the light rail systems around the UK, but my beef in this instance is with Midlands Metro.
I can buy a return ticket this weekend from Nuneaton station to The Hawthorns station (for the West Brom game), but our crazy disintegrated transport system means that the ticket will not permit me to do the convenient change at Birmingham New Street from a Cross Country train to a Midlands Metro light rail service.
I am instead required to walk to either Moor Street or Snow Hill to catch a London Midland train. And if I'm prepared to buy a second ticket, I can't have a railcard discount and I can't collect it at my origin station.
We seem to have transport policy in this country that is deliberately designed to encourage car use.
I asked Transport for West Midlands why they would not offer though ticketing to the mainline rail network, and their reply boiled down to them not giving a toss about anyone who lived outside their area.
I can buy a return ticket this weekend from Nuneaton station to The Hawthorns station (for the West Brom game), but our crazy disintegrated transport system means that the ticket will not permit me to do the convenient change at Birmingham New Street from a Cross Country train to a Midlands Metro light rail service.
I am instead required to walk to either Moor Street or Snow Hill to catch a London Midland train. And if I'm prepared to buy a second ticket, I can't have a railcard discount and I can't collect it at my origin station.
We seem to have transport policy in this country that is deliberately designed to encourage car use.
I asked Transport for West Midlands why they would not offer though ticketing to the mainline rail network, and their reply boiled down to them not giving a toss about anyone who lived outside their area.